Self-Powered and Bio-Inspired Dynamic Systems: Research and Education

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farbod Khoshnoud ◽  
Ibrahim I. Esat ◽  
Richard H. C. Bonser ◽  
Clarence W. de Silva ◽  
Michael M. McKerns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Vibration Control ◽  
Dynamic Systems ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Educational Activity ◽  
Electromagnetic Actuators ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Self Powered ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
Research And Education

Animals are products of nature and have evolved over millions of years to perform better in their activities. Engineering research and development can benefit greatly by looking into nature and finding engineering solutions by learning from animals’ evolution and biological systems. Another relevant factor in the present context is highlighted by the statement of the Nobel laureate Richard Smalley: “Energy is the single most important problem facing humanity today.” This paper focuses on how the research and education in the area of Dynamic Systems can be geared towards these two considerations. In particular, recent advances in self-powered dynamic systems and bio-inspired dynamic systems are highlighted. Self-powered dynamic systems benefit by capturing wasted energy in a dynamic system and converting it into useful energy in the mode of a regenerative system, possibly in conjunction with renewable energies. Examples of solar-powered vehicles, regenerative vibration control, and energy harvesting are presented in the paper. Particularly, development of solar-powered quadrotor, octocopter, and tricopter airships are presented, a self-powered vibration control of a mass-spring system using electromagnetic actuators/generators, and piezoelectric flutter energy harvesting using bi-stable material are discussed. As examples of bioinspired dynamic systems, flapping wing flying robots, vertical axis wind turbines inspired by fish schooling, propulsion inspired by jellyfish, and Psi Intelligent Control are given. In particular, various design and developments of bird-inspired and insect-inspired flapping wings with the piezoelectric and electromagnetic actuation mechanisms, a scaled vertical axis wind turbine farm consist of 4 turbines and the corresponding wind tunnel testing, jellyfish-inspired pulsing jet and experimenting the increase in efficiency of energy consumption, and a multi-agent/robotic based predictive control scheme inspired by Psi precognition (event or state not yet experienced). Examples of student projects and research carried out at Brunel University and the experimental rigs built (in all the mentioned areas) are discussed, as an integrated research and educational activity. For the analysis and understanding of the behavior of self-powered and bio-inspired systems, Optimal Uncertainty Quantification (OUQ) is used. OUQ establishes a unified analysis framework in obtaining optimized solutions of the dynamic systems responses, which takes into account uncertainties and incomplete information in the simulation of these systems.

Self-powered active control of elastic and aeroelastic oscillations using piezoelectric material

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (15) ◽  
pp. 2023-2035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarcísio Marinelli Pereira Silva ◽  
Carlos De Marqui
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Vibration Control ◽  
The Self ◽  
Base Excitation ◽  
Sensors And Actuators ◽  
Multilayered Structures ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
Active Vibration ◽  
Self Powered

Piezoelectric materials have been used as sensors and actuators in vibration control problems. Recently, the use of piezoelectric transduction in vibration-based energy harvesting has received great attention. In this article, the self-powered active vibration control of multilayered structures that contain both power generation and actuation capabilities with one piezoceramic layer for scavenging energy and sensing, another one for actuation, and a central substructure is investigated. The piezoaeroelastic finite element modeling is presented as a combination of an electromechanically coupled finite element model and an unsteady aerodynamic model. An electrical circuit that calculates the control signal based on the electrical output of the sensing piezoelectric layer and simultaneously energy harvesting capabilities is presented. The actuation energy is fully supplied by the harvested energy, which also powers active elements of the circuit. First, the numerical predictions for the self-powered active vibration attenuation of an electromechanically coupled beam under harmonic base excitation are experimentally verified. Then, the performance of the self-powered active controller is compared to the performance of a conventional active controller in another base excitation problem. Later, the self-powered active system is employed to damp flutter oscillations of a plate-like wing.

Simultaneous energy harvesting and vibration control of structures with tuned mass dampers

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (18) ◽  
pp. 2117-2127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiudong Tang ◽  
Lei Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Vibration Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Tall Buildings ◽  
Tuned Mass Damper ◽  
Vibration Energy ◽  
Damping Force ◽  
Tuned Mass Dampers ◽  
Mass Damper ◽  
Self Powered

The vibrations of the tall buildings are serious concerns to both engineers and architects for the protection of the safety of the structure and occupant comfort. In order to mitigate the vibration, different approaches have been proposed, among which tuned mass dampers are one of the most preferable and have been widely used in practice. Instead of dissipating the vibration energy into heat waste via the viscous damping element, this article presents an approach to harvest the vibration energy from tall buildings with tuned mass dampers, by replacing the energy-dissipating element with an electromagnetic harvester. This article demonstrates that vibration mitigation and energy harvesting can be achieved simultaneously by the utilization of an electricity-generating tuned mass damper and relevant algorithms. Based on the proposed switching energy harvesting circuit, three control strategies are investigated in this article, namely, semi-active, self-powered active, and passive-matching regenerative. The functions of the energy harvesting circuit on damping force control and power regulation, as well the effectiveness of the control strategies, are illustrated by simulation. The simultaneous energy harvesting and vibration control are demonstrated, for the first time, by experiment based on a three-story building prototype with the electricity-generating tuned mass damper, which is composed of a rotational brushed direct current motor and rack–pinion mechanism.

scholarly journals Electrode and electrolyte configurations for low frequency motion energy harvesting based on reverse electrowetting

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pashupati R. Adhikari ◽  
Nishat T. Tasneem ◽  
Russell C. Reid ◽  
Ifana Mahbub
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Bias Voltage ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Maximum Output ◽  
Electrowetting On Dielectric ◽  
External Bias ◽  
Motion Energy ◽  
Ac Current ◽  
Self Powered

AbstractIncreasing demand for self-powered wearable sensors has spurred an urgent need to develop energy harvesting systems that can reliably and sufficiently power these devices. Within the last decade, reverse electrowetting-on-dielectric (REWOD)-based mechanical motion energy harvesting has been developed, where an electrolyte is modulated (repeatedly squeezed) between two dissimilar electrodes under an externally applied mechanical force to generate an AC current. In this work, we explored various combinations of electrolyte concentrations, dielectrics, and dielectric thicknesses to generate maximum output power employing REWOD energy harvester. With the objective of implementing a fully self-powered wearable sensor, a “zero applied-bias-voltage” approach was adopted. Three different concentrations of sodium chloride aqueous solutions (NaCl-0.1 M, NaCl-0.5 M, and NaCl-1.0 M) were used as electrolytes. Likewise, electrodes were fabricated with three different dielectric thicknesses (100 nm, 150 nm, and 200 nm) of Al2O3 and SiO2 with an additional layer of CYTOP for surface hydrophobicity. The REWOD energy harvester and its electrode–electrolyte layers were modeled using lumped components that include a resistor, a capacitor, and a current source representing the harvester. Without using any external bias voltage, AC current generation with a power density of 53.3 nW/cm2 was demonstrated at an external excitation frequency of 3 Hz with an optimal external load. The experimental results were analytically verified using the derived theoretical model. Superior performance of the harvester in terms of the figure-of-merit comparing previously reported works is demonstrated. The novelty of this work lies in the combination of an analytical modeling method and experimental validation that together can be used to increase the REWOD harvested power extensively without requiring any external bias voltage.

Integration of vibration control and energy harvesting for whole-spacecraft: Experiments and theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 107956
Author(s):  
Ke-Fan Xu ◽  
Ye-Wei Zhang ◽  
Jian Zang ◽  
Mu-Qing Niu ◽  
Li-Qun Chen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Vibration Control

scholarly journals Time-Multiplexed Self-Powered Wireless Current Sensor for Power Transmission Lines

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1561
Author(s):  
Hao Chen ◽  
Zhongnan Qian ◽  
Chengyin Liu ◽  
Jiande Wu ◽  
Wuhua Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Transmission Line ◽  
Transmission Lines ◽  
Power Transmission ◽  
Current Measurement ◽  
Current Sensor ◽  
Power Transmission Line ◽  
Power Transmission Lines ◽  
Current Sensing ◽  
Self Powered

Current measurement is a key part of the monitoring system for power transmission lines. Compared with the conventional current sensor, the distributed, self-powered and contactless current sensor has great advantages of safety and reliability. By integrating the current sensing function and the energy harvesting function of current transformer (CT), a time-multiplexed self-powered wireless sensor that can measure the power transmission line current is presented in this paper. Two operating modes of CT, including current sensing mode and energy harvesting mode, are analyzed in detail. Through the design of mode-switching circuit, harvesting circuit and measurement circuit are isolated using only one CT secondary coil, which eliminates the interference between energy harvesting and current measurement. Thus, the accurate measurement in the current sensing mode and the maximum energy collection in the energy harvesting mode are both realized, all of which simplify the online power transmission line monitoring. The designed time-multiplexed working mode allows the sensor to work at a lower transmission line current, at the expense of a lower working frequency. Finally, the proposed sensor is verified by experiments.

Triboelectric Nanogenerator using Multiferroic Materials: An Approach for Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Magnetic Field Detection

Nano Energy ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 105964
Author(s):  
Sugato Hajra ◽  
Venkateswaran Vivekananthan ◽  
Manisha Sahu ◽  
Gaurav Khandelwal ◽  
Nirmal Prashanth Maria Joseph Raj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽  
Multiferroic Materials ◽  
Field Detection ◽  
Self Powered

scholarly journals Piezoelectric Impact Energy Harvester Based on the Composite Spherical Particle Chain for Self-Powered Sensors

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3151
Author(s):  
Shuo Yang ◽  
Bin Wu ◽  
Xiucheng Liu ◽  
Mingzhi Li ◽  
Heying Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Spherical Particle ◽  
Impact Energy ◽  
Energy Harvester ◽  
Composite Particle ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting ◽  
Particle Chain ◽  
Piezoelectric Energy ◽  
Self Powered ◽  
Particle Chains

In this study, a novel piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) based on the array composite spherical particle chain was constructed and explored in detail through simulation and experimental verification. The power test of the PEH based on array composite particle chains in the self-powered system was realized. Firstly, the model of PEH based on the composite spherical particle chain was constructed to theoretically realize the collection, transformation, and storage of impact energy, and the advantages of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting were verified. Secondly, an experimental system was established to test the performance of the PEH, including the stability of the system under a continuous impact load, the power adjustment under different resistances, and the influence of the number of particle chains on the energy harvesting efficiency. Finally, a self-powered supply system was established with the PEH composed of three composite particle chains to realize the power supply of the microelectronic components. This paper presents a method of collecting impact energy based on particle chain structure, and lays an experimental foundation for the application of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting.

scholarly journals A Self-Powered PMFC-Based Wireless Sensor Node for Smart City Applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ayala-Ruiz ◽  
Alejandro Castillo Atoche ◽  
Erica Ruiz-Ibarra ◽  
Edith Osorio de la Rosa ◽  
Javier Vázquez Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Energy Harvesting ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Sensor Node ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Cloud Services ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Wireless Sensor ◽  
Ultra Low Power ◽  
Self Powered

Long power wide area networks (LPWAN) systems play an important role in monitoring environmental conditions for smart cities applications. With the development of Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSN), and energy harvesting devices, ultra-low power sensor nodes (SNs) are able to collect and monitor the information for environmental protection, urban planning, and risk prevention. This paper presents a WSN of self-powered IoT SNs energetically autonomous using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells (PMFCs). An energy harvesting device has been adapted with the PMFC to enable a batteryless operation of the SN providing power supply to the sensor network. The low-power communication feature of the SN network is used to monitor the environmental data with a dynamic power management strategy successfully designed for the PMFC-based LoRa sensor node. Environmental data of ozone (O3) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are monitored in real time through a web application providing IoT cloud services with security and privacy protocols.

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